PCCR Project
About Project
Technical Approach
Security
Collaborative Registry
Data Warehouse
Statistical Models
Collaborators
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

For the successful implementation of multi-center Pancreatic Cancer studies, a close information partnership between multiple centers with expertise in Pancreatic Cancer epidemiology, genetics, biology, early detection and patient care has to be established.

The overall goal of this project is to develop Integrated Biomedical Computing Tools (IBCT) for better understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer (PC) by using the power of computer and information sciences. The IBCT contains three integrated components: (1) the Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry (PCCR) component gathers complete information on PC patients and individuals at high risk of developing PC; (2) the Pancreatic Cancer Data Warehouse (PCDW) component converts the collected data into the format suitable for data mining; and (3) the Pancreatic Cancer Statistical Models (PCSM) component, consisting of a set of statistical tables and models, will allow statistical analysis of the PC data and prediction of the risk of PC development as well estimation of survival rates. These three components serve as a foundation for the integration of the information flow between patients, clinicians and researchers.
The research and development (R &D) tasks of this project include:

  • Development and implementation of the PCCR with the ability to collect an enlarged variety of data;
  • Development of a data warehouse to mine PC data; and
  • Implementation of advanced statistical methods and Bayesian network models in the PCSM.

At present, seven centers have already agreed to provide information for our system. During the three-year period we expect their existing data to be submitted into the PCCR, as well as data from newly recruited subjects. It is estimated that in 5 years there will be at least 5,000 cases entered into our system. This will result in one of the largest outcomes databases on PC patients in the world. This sample size will allow for certain multivariate and stratified analyses to be performed. The data collected and analyzed by the IBCT will serve as a platform for the development of novel hypotheses and plans for future research. It will also lead to the better understanding and treatment of PC.

This application provides complementary aspects to ongoing clinical, translational and conventional basic science research focused on the fight against PC.